A Passion for Nursing
Knowing where you came from can inspire you to get where you plan to go. So say Russian-born nursing students Catherine “Katya” and her brother Boris Golub who moved to America at an early age but have been driven by the work ethic of their parents and grandparents.

“It is my parents’ goal to give their children opportunities and options that they did not have access to when they were growing up,” said Boris.

Their parents Vera and Leon moved with their six children from Magadan, Russia (close to Siberia) when Katya and Boris were 9- and 6-year-olds. They relocated their family to Lancaster County in 1997 where they already had family and acquaintances.

Katya was the first person in her family to attend college and knew she wanted to select a profession in the health care field early on.

“As a senior in high school, my father started having some health issues. I made a lot of trips with him to various hospitals and treatment centers,” said Katya. “That gave me the opportunity to see different medical personnel perform their roles…and I realized that I liked the role of the nurse the most.”

But money was tight, and finding a program that would help her succeed was important. Katya found that program at Alvernia, where she is currently a senior, on the brink of graduation.

Alvernia offers more than 20 endowed scholarships for students. With help from the Financial Aid Office, Katya was able to secure the Dr. Edna B. McKenzie Scholarship and the Helen Makiewick Kubucki Scholarship, both offered exclusively for nursing students.

According to the 2008 National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses, Boris is part of a growing trend — the percentage of men graduating with nursing degrees has more than doubled since 1990. He is not concerned about working in a female-dominated profession. After earning his RN license and gaining experience in the field, he plans to continue his education in a specialty area.

“Overall the classes associated with nursing are very difficult,” he said. “I really do enjoy Foundations of Professional Nursing with Professor (Anne) Fink. She has a great way of presenting the material in a way that is understandable and also enjoyable to the students.”

Alvernia’s Franciscan values translate well in the field of nursing, where having true respect for human dignity and serving people of all backgrounds is part of everyday life.

So it’s only natural that the values should be visible in the university’s academic programs. “The Transcultural Nursing course teaches us that we may all come from different cultures and backgrounds, but we are still people in need of someone to truly care for us and go the extra mile to accommodate our special beliefs and practices without being judged,” said Katya.

Very dedicated in reaching her goals, Katya would like to work in the Ephrata, Pa., area where her bilingual abilities can help the large Russian population of that region.

“During my last semester, I had clinical at the Ephrata Hospital for our pediatric rotation and my 6-year-old patient serendipitously turned out to be Russian. His mother spoke very little English, and it was a great relief to her to have a nursing student who could properly communicate her needs to the nursing staff,” said Katya. “It also put her at ease to have the comfort of speaking a familiar language in that stressful situation.”

Katya and Boris are on their way to becoming excellent contributors in the medical community and attribute much of their quality education to their professors.

“The entire nursing faculty has helped me through this journey of nursing school in their own way. I would like to thank them for their support and teaching,” said Katya.

Boris agrees. “From all of the professors that I’ve seen, they do it because it seems like they love their job. That’s why I chose Alvernia. They have great nursing professors who really care about the success of their students.

Did you know?

A National Leadership Council for Liberal Education and America's Promise study found that participating employers and recent college graduates agreed on the necessity of out of the classroom experiences. The study emphasizes the importance of providing students with important knowledge and skills but also experience putting that knowledge and skills to practical use in "real-world" settings.

Did you know?

Seventy-six percent of participating employers put "teamwork skills and the ability to collaborate with others in diverse group settings" at the top of their list of desired capabilities in new employees, according to a National Leadership Council for Liberal Education and America's Promise study. These are among the skills fostered by real-world learning experiences.

Did you know?

Service learning is a method of providing personal and academic development through work with established nonprofit organizations in the community. It is an avenue to introduce students to a professional environment without the extensive commitments of an internship.

Did you know?

Service learning provides ideal real world learning opportunities. According to SmartBlog on Leadership, doing volunteer and service work for a non-profit organization that is connected to your major or academic program of study helps develop leadership skills, expands your perspective of the world, allows you to discover new skills in a safe environment, and develops a larger network of real world contacts to draw upon once you graduate.

Did you know?

Service learning can take you outside of your comfort zone, giving you an opportunity to work with new challenges, people, politics and interpersonal dynamics. It also offers new perspective on priorities. Hanging out with people who have had different life experiences encourages you to tackle challenges from different angles. Julie Zolfo, founder of Make Success Matter said that she volunteered for six weeks at the schools in New Delhi, India.

Did you know?

"Alvernia's Career Development Center works with students to find avenues for employment, internships, co-ops, career exploration, resume development, and graduate school options. Center staff help students assess their options and identify their own "brand" to complement their life after Alvernia.

Did you know?

A recent career fair at Alvernia attracted more than 55 employers who were seeking to hire employees, co-ops and interns for their organizations. Career fairs like this one are fertile ground for students seeking real world learning opportunities and to reap the benefits of such as employers look to to hire staff members who have honed their skills and abilities via practical experiences in real situations.

Did you know?

Since its inception, Alvernia has offered real world opportunities with an emphasis on service and careers that help those in need. Field experiences in areas like criminal justice, social work, nursing, occupational therapy, health care science and teacher training among others provide our students with rich learning opportunities to test drive what it's like to work in that profession.

Did you know?

In a recent American Association of Colleges and Universities survey of 302 employers, 79 percent said institutions of higher learning should emphasize helping students apply what they learn in real-world settings, and 66 percent said that completing an internship or community field project would help prepare students for success.